Vethara's Lament
Vethara was a warden-priest who held the great cathedral of Ossenmere alone against a siege for nine days, her shield drinking in the screams of the dying until the walls themselves seemed to moan. When relief finally came, Vethara was found kneeling at the altar, alive but silent, her voice never to return. The shield was left behind, and those who have carried it since report hearing half-formed cries when the cathedral grows quiet.
Appearance
A broad heater shield of grey stone-inlaid steel, a hairline crack running through its center boss.
Mechanics
A shield that traps the dying screams of foes and releases them as a wave of dread that breaks enemy resolve.
Choir of the Fallen
When a creature within 30 feet of you drops to 0 hit points, its death cry is silently absorbed into the shield. The next time you use the Help action or make a Charisma (Intimidation) check, you may release the stored cry. All hostile creatures within 15 feet that can hear must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you until the end of their next turn. Only one death cry may be stored at a time; if a new one is absorbed before the previous is released, the earlier cry is lost.
Sanctuary of Stone
While you are inside a structure made primarily of stone or masonry, such as a cathedral, dungeon, or castle, you have a +2 bonus to AC.
DM Notes
The +2 AC bonus from Sanctuary of Stone is conditional on environment, which keeps the item from being consistently overpowered. It is strongest in dungeon-crawl or urban settings and weak in the wilderness. Choir of the Fallen pairs well with encounters where trash mobs die early, letting the player bank a cry for the boss fight. The DC 15 Wisdom save is moderately challenging at the rarity tier. The one-cry storage cap prevents the player from banking multiple uses across a dungeon. Consider placing this item in a cathedral-based dungeon to let both effects shine simultaneously.
Generated with: Level 5 · Haunted cathedral · Heroic · Rare